Sliding shelf door structure



May 18, 1965 w. E. BILLUPS 3,184,275

SLIDING SHELF DOOR STRUCTURE Filed April 2, 1962 v A 2 Sheets-Sheet l 70 a fw May 18, 1965 Filed April 2, 1962 w. E. BILLUPs 3,184,276

SLIDING SHELF DOOR STRUCTURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent O 3,184,276 SLIDING SHELF DOR STRUCTURE Willis Eugene Billups, 20138 Revere, Detroit, Mich.. Filed Apr. 2, 1962, Ser. No. 184,278 1 Claim. (Cl. S12-274) This invention relates to cabinets and more particularly to a kitchen cabinet provided with a hinged door and means connected thereto by which a carriage or tray is housed within the cabinet when the door is closed and is withdrawn from the cabinet to an accessible position when the door is opened.

The carriage or `tray of the present invention is particularly adapted in kitchen sinks and cabinets for housing a waste can, garbage can, or the like. The waste can or garbage can is generally housed in the cabinet, except when in use so as not to detract from the appearance of the cabinet in its environment.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a cabinet for waste cans, garbage cans, or the like, having means for positively and easily moving a can between a position in which it is fully housed within a cavity formed in the cabinet and a position of accessibility from without the cabinet.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a cabinet of the aforementioned type having a carriage or tray movable therein wherein such carriage or tray is operable by the opening and closing of a door of said cavity.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a cabinet of the aforementioned type which includes a movable or slidable carriage or tray made of plastic material and means provided between the tray and door for operating the tray without disturbing the can on the tray.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a cabinet of the aforementioned type which is simple in construction, economical to manufacture, and easy to maintain.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a cabinet formed with a recess opening through one side thereof, a pair of laterally spaced longitudinally extending tracks along the bottom wall of the cabinet, threaded fasteners at the opposite ends of each of the tracks for connecting the tracks to the bottom wall of the cabinet, said fasteners having abutment surfaces, a carriage disposed in said recess opening and arranged for movement in and out of the cabinet, two tranversely spaced pairs of rollers on the underside of said carriage, one pair of rollers along each side thereof and engaging one of said tracks, said pairs of rollers being arranged to roll lengthwise of said tracks upon movement of said carriage, a door hingedly secured to an edge of said recess opening and arranged to close the opening thereto, and means linking said door and said carriage whereby opening of said door withdraws said carriage from said recess opening and closure of said door returns said carriage to said recess opening, the maximum amount of withdrawal of said carriage upon of said door being determined by the engagement of the rollers at the forward end of the carriage with the abutment surfaces on the fasteners opposite therefrom.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a cabinet of the aforementioned type wherein said linking means comprises an actuating arm connected to the inner surface of said door, a downwardly facing trackway integrally formed on the underside of said carriage, and a follower carried by said arm for engagement with said trackway.

Another object of the present invention is to provide 3,184,276 Patented May 18, 1965 ice a cabinet of the aforementioned type wherein the carriage is made from plastic material.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a plastic carriage or tray which is adapted to be inserted in a cabinet and actuated by a door which is mounted for a left-hand or right-hand operation.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a cabinet of the aforementioned type wherein the tray which is suitable for either a left-hand or right-hand operation, is provided with a pair of downwardly facing trackways, one of said trackways being suitable for one of said operations.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

FIGURE l is a perspective view of the cabinet illustrating the tray in an open position.

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the cabinet illustrating the tray in a closed position corresponding to the closed position of the cabinet door.

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a sectional View taken on line 4-4 of FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 5 is a plan view of the cabinet illustrating the tray in an opened position corresponding to the opened position of the cabinet door.

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken on line 6 6 of FIGURE 5.

In the illustrated embodiment of the present invention, there is shown a cabinet 10 formed by side walls 12, rear Wall 14, and bottom wall 16, and front wall 1S. The cabinet 10 is adapted to be included in a built-in cabinet system, such as is provided beneath the sink in a kitchen. The front wall 1S is provided with a vertical opening 20 through which the tray or carriage 22 is adapted to move, as will be subsequently explained. The carriage 22 is adapted to carry a garbage can 23 or the like. A door 24 is hingedly connected at one side of the opening 20 to the wall y18 by means of a vertically mounted hinge 26. The door 24 is provided with the usual handle 28 which facilitates the opening and closing of the door 24.

Mounted 4lengthwise in the cabinet 10 are a pair of transversely spaced longitudinally extending tracks 30 and 32. The tracks 30 and 32 are of substantially channel shaped cross-section throughout theirlongitudinal extent. Each of the tracks 3i) and 32 is provided with a pair of vertically spaced parallel flanges 34 and 36 which are separated by a web 3S. Threaded screws or bolts 40 are provided at the opposite ends of the tracks 30 and 32 for connecting the tracks to the bottom wall 16 of the cabinet 10. The threaded fasteners 40 extend through the flanges 34 and 36 into the bottom wall 16. The parts of the fasteners 40 in between the flanges 34 and 36 provide abutment surfaces which are used for a purpose to be hereinafter explained.

The tray or carriage 22 is of molded plastic construction and is designed so that it may be used for either a left-hand or a right-hand operated door. The tray 22 may be made from such plastic materials as Cycolac or linear polyethylene. The tray 22 has a substantially smooth upper surface 42 and is provided at the forward end thereof with rounded corners 44 so as to avoid interference with the door 24.

The underside of the carriage of tray 22 is provided with a pair of transversely spaced longitudinally extending ilanges 46. Each flange 46 carries a pair of longitudinally spaced roller bearings 48 at the rear half of the carriage 22. Each roller 48 is mounted on a threaded stub shaft 50, which is adapted to extend through an ,illustrated in FIGURE 3.

direction.

"rigidity throughout.

opening 52 provided in the ange 46. A spacer 54 is Vvalso mounted on stub shaft 50 and separates roller bear- 1 adapted to roll along the top surfaceV of theanges 36 upon movement of the carriage 22."

IntermediateY each pair. of Yroller VThe roller bearings 48, are

Vbearings 48y areYV 4" Amoved forwardly to fa position where the garbage can '23 is readily accessible from without the cabinet10;

It should be observed that thetray '22. hasl two trackways integrally lformed on theunderside thereof so that the tray may be conveniently kadapted for use with a door y whichis pivotally mounted for either a left-hand or right- Y hand operation;

provided a pair of longitudinally Yspaced guide roller bearings 60. Theguide roller bearings 60 are mounted' betweeny a pair of ears 62 and 64 and are connected tof said ears by means of a pin 66, as best illustratedin FIGURE 4.` The guide bearings() are adapted to move In addition, the corners of the tray are rounded and the parts so designed that interference between the corners of the tray and the door isprevented.

' The drawings and theforegoing specification constitute Y l a-fdescr-iption of the improved sliding shelf ydoor structure along the webs 38 of the tracks .uponmovementof'the carriage 22 and are arranged to maintain' the carriage 22k in predeterminedV longitudinal alignment with respect to the tracks and 32.

` The forward end of the carriage 22 is provided with a Y Y pair of integral downwardly lfacing trackways 70`and- 72 on the underside thereof. Trackway 70 is designed for a right-hand door operation, as illustrated. The /other trackway 72 is designed for a left-hand door-operation.V d

VThe trackway 70 is integrally formed with the .tray or carriage 22 and is provided with a pair of downwardlyVV facing walls 74 and 76, which are supported by -reinfor'cf ing gussets 78andr80 respectively; Y Y l An actuating arm 82 isconected between the door 24 and the. tray 22. The actuating arm 82 is provided at one `end with the tiange 84 .whichis bolted Vto the door 24.

The other end of the actuating arm 82, as best illustrated.,

in FIGURE, is provided with anopening 88, which is adapted to receive a threaded stub shaft-90 for the cam follower or roller 92. The followerV 9 2' is held in a predetermined ixed position with respect -to the trackway 70 by a nut 94 threaded on the stub shaft 96g" In operation, when it is required .to move the tray or UREIZ to the opened position illustrated in FIGURE 45,

' carriage 22 from the closed position illustrated in FIG- i and moves the follower 92 inV the trackway y'70 against the wall 76 v'so as to create a force againstthe wall `'76 which moves, the tray 22 to an opened position.V The foltrackway 7.0 when the door V24 is lmoved in av closing back into the cabinet 10 ahead ofthe closing door24.

The amount of withdrawal ofV thetray 22 from the With such a construction the tray k22 travels K n said 'carriage forwardly from Vsaid recess and; closing ofk lower 92 also exerts a force against the wallf7lV of the` cabinet -10 is limited to an, amount which is determined f -V by the engagement of the rollers 48 at the forwardend of the tray 22 with the abutmentsurfaces aforesaidprovided on the threaded fasteners 40. The fasteners 40not Y only attach the tracks 30 and 32 to the bottom wall 16 but also limit the forward movement of theV tray 22 inthe opening direction.k In the present embodiment the 'trayV vmove out approximately half the length .1; v

'rib 96 midway between Vthe ends of thertray 22. The ribs serve 'as reinforcing braces forV the tray 22Y along with gussets 98. f

in such full, clear, concise, and exactV terms as to enable any-person skilled in the artto practice the invention, the

v scope4 of which is indicated by the appended claim.

yWhat I claim asmy invention is: Y l In a cabinet con-.struction comprising al cabinet having an elongated recess through the front Vthereof and a door for the cabinet hinged for swinging movementv about Va vertical axis at one sid'e'of the recess: a pair of horizontal, ylaterally spaced parallel carriage tracks within said recess 'xedly connected to the bottom ofthe cabinetiand extending from front to rear of said recess, each of said tracks having'aV transverse channel-shaped cross-section land including a vertical web 'and a pair of'laterally inwardly ex- VVtending topand bottomV horizontal-flanges, an elongated' YVsubstantially at one piece carriage made ,from arplastic material disposed in the recess and arranged for. horizontal forwardgand rearward movementrinto and out of the cabinet, said `'carriage including on the bottom surface thereof a pair of integralrdownwardly extending elongated parallel flanges spaced inwardly Vfrom the longitudinal edge Vportions of `the carriage and extending forwardly and rearwardly, the anges'fon said carriage extending into 'the space between said tracks and being located closely adjacent'and parallelto said tracksfwith said longitudinal edge portions overlying the top flanges of said tracks, a front-pair and a rear `pair of laterally spaced rollers mounted on the respective flanges of sai'dfcarriage, the rollers of each pair,v engaging the bottom vflanges of said tracks,

saidpairs Vof `rollers .holding the longitudinal edgeV por-V tions'Vr of the carriage above fand spaced from `the top lianges ofrsaid'tracks, saidrrollers'being'arranged to roll on said bottom'fanges lengthwise'of'said tracks uponl movement of-said carriage," means linking the` door and saidy carriage whereby opening-"ofV the door withdraws connected on one end thereof to the inner surface of the' -door andrextending intovthe space lbetween saidftracks beneath the.V bottom surface of 'saidi carriage when the 'Y door Yis closed, said carriage also includingan integral .is also provided with integral transversely downwardly facing trackway on the bottom ysurface thereof intermediate said flanges on said carriage, said trackway including' a pair of laterally spaced downwardly extending'elongated parallel sidewalls extending fromone 4of the anges Vof said' carriage to a pointclosely adjacent the vforward edge Yofthe carriage, Vsaid one flange of the `carriage being the flange closest to the hinged axis ofthe door, saidy trackway includingV only.4 two portions namely an inner arcuate portion adjacent said onegllange of the It will be noted that the yinvernltion'provides a construc-V vtion characterized by its simplicity and ease of man-V ufacture. The -tray is constructedfrom a plasticimatferialv by 'simplevmolding operation and is so formed-to insure 4' The trackways provideV cam'rpaths Vwithxadequate'r Vbear- `ing surfaces for the cam'follower Vorproller 92. This insures ease of operationiwith no binding Vor sticking of parts. p

`With such a construction the Vtray 22 is adapted'Y to be carriage of less vthan 90V degrees andan outer portion whichis substantially straightand closed at the'forward end thereof, a cam follower carried by the other end of` Y said actuatingy arm for engagement -withthe sidewalls, of

Vsaid trackway, saidfcam follower and said arm being locatedv closely adjacent said Aone flange whenthe door is closed, a front pairfand 'a rear pair of guide bearings mounted at the outer sides fof the flanges on said carriage lI'for engagementwith the'webs of said tracksand holding .Y the"1langes Yon said carriage spaced laterally inwardly from saidtracks, said guide bearings having their axes arranged substantially,perpendicular Vto the axes of said rollers for vguiding said carriage during lengthwise movement there- 5 6 of, said front pair of bearings being near to but rearward 1,547,627 7/ 25 Thomas 312-274 of said front pair of rollers and said rear pair of bearings 2,281,617 5/ 42 Ramsdell 312-274 X being near to but forward of said rear pair of rollers, 2,300,287 10/42 Huarisa 312-274 X said arm serving as a support for the forward end of said 2,518,985 8/50 Geyh 312-273 X carriage when the carriage is moved outwardly of the 5 2,614,022 10/52 Kurtzon 312-348 X recess to extend substantially beyond the recess of the 2,627,264 2/53 Nelson. cabinet. 2,696,419 12/54 Wallance 312-248 X 2,702,224 2/55 Goldberg 312-274 References Cited by the Examiner 2,745,708 5/ 5 6 Cornish 312-274 X UNTED STATES PATENTS 10 FOREIGN PATENTS 228,620 6/ 80 Filley. 313,523 6/56 Switzerland. 325,645 9/ 85 Armington. 403,938 5/89 Hoogerzeil 312-274 X FRANK B. SHERRY, Primary Examiner.

879,982 2/08 Ross 312-339 

